Valdorian Age - Rising Power on the Frontier

Abyzinia Today

Much as they have always been, the Abyzinians concern themselves more with trade than warfare, the gods, and other less practical concerns. They’re considered the most sophisticated and elegant of people, and the goods their craftsmen make fetch high prices nearly everywhere – even Valdorian nobles of the Heartland value Abyzinian goods. Their merchants purchase the raw materials for these crafts in foreign ports, bringing them back to Abyzinia, and then traveling abroad again to sell goods ranging from soft, well woven fabrics to the finest jewelry.

The Witch-Queen Zenobia T’numbra still rules Abyzinia, but though her physical appearance is ageless and still beautiful – Abyzinians are wont to claim she is the most beautiful woman in the world – she begins to succumb to madness. This is a matter-of-fact affair for the Abyzinians, as madness is the usual end of their sorcerous rulers. They say no mortal can balance the obligations of ruling a kingdom with his obligations to otherworldly powers and remain sane for long. Zenobia T’numbra’s public appearances become increasingly less frequent, and when she does make an appearance, it usually end with her raving and demanding blood and souls to feed the demons she traffics with for the good of the kingdom. It is only a matter of time now before she dies – perhaps taking he own life, perhaps having her soul dragged down into the Nether Realms by tittering demons.

Normally an Abyzinian would have little concern about this matter, for this is how the kingdom has gone for thousands of years and it has always survives the upheaval. But the fact that a foreigner played for the throne in the last succession worries them. The Abyzinians are cosmopolitan, but the idea of an outlander wearing the crown makes them uneasy.